DCU Comic Book Reviews

SALVATION RUN #6

Burning Down The World

June 2008

Written by Matthew Sturges

Pencils by Sean Chen

Inks by Walden Wong

Cover by Sean Chen and Walden Wong

Synopsis

On the place they call “Hell Planet,” Lex Luthor’s group has the Martian Manhunter held hostage.  Luthor orders the hostage to remain alive so he can be used as a bargaining chip.  When Thunder and lightning attempt to help Martian Manhunter, Luthor orders the duo kept in a cage.  The Joker thinks they should be killed and thinks Luthor has become soft.  Luthor disagrees.  Joker slaps Luthor in the face.  Elsewhere, Vandal Savage’s attempts to create a paradise is helped along by Phobia, whose powers help keep the women afraid of the planet’s predators and, therefore, willing to follow Savage’s orders.  Meanwhile, the fight between Luthor and the Joker becomes bloody, but is interrupted by a boom tube and the arrival of parademons.  Luthor and Joker stop their fight as the villains assemble to prepare to meet the onslaught that is coming their way. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I am not really sure what to say at this point about this mini-series.  My praise and complaints about this issue pretty much are the same as the previous issues.  I still think that the writing lacks focus.  Sometimes, such as Heat Wave’s narration, it is very specific to a character, but other times there is a broad, overview of events and actions.  For instance, when Thunder and Lightning endeavor to help J’onn, Heat Wave is nowhere to be seen, let alone provide narration about the event.  This series is neither a character-driven piece about survival on Hell Planet, but nor is it a plot-driven piece about what happens when all of the world’s villains are dropped into one place.  As a result it lacks narrative focus and as such for the reader, it is difficult to get into a story that doesn’t know how to get into itself.  Despite that, there are still great moments in this series, including the showdown between Luthor and Joker in this issue. 

The sequence with Vandal Savage is actually an interesting subplot, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what it has to do with the main plot.  Right now it seems to dangle out there on its own, a separate story with no clear cut ending, which is a problem since the finale is next issue.  So, where exactly is Sturges leading with this subplot?  I have enough faith in Sturges that everything will be connected or explained in some manner but I am also afraid that the connection will be tenuous or completely random (Savage accidentally finds the way home and a second later everyone else finds Savage, or something like that). 

From the Bob Dylan song “All Along The Watchtower” comes this line:  “There must be some way out of here said the joker to the thief.”  I think the joke would have worked better if Sturges simply had the Joker say those exact words to the Shadow Thief.  However, the moment still works, but only because I am aware of the Dylan song (even though I am not a Dylan fan). 

 

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